Pourover brewer basics [video] - Page 2

#11: Post by **Peppersass** » March 27th, 2012, 1:05 pm

Marshall wrote:First thing in the morning? I'd have to have a cup of coffee to make your cup of coffee.

I guess that's what the espresso machine is for...

#12: Post by **Sam21** » March 27th, 2012, 7:47 pm

Marshall wrote:First thing in the morning? I'd have to have a cup of coffee to make your cup of coffee.

Haha. I know it sounds difficult. Honestly, it's a 3-4 minute process once the water has boiled. My method evolved over two years so it's effortless at this point. If I am absolutely exhausted and unable to fathom a pour over cup, I just make a press pot or a clever cup.

I don't make espresso so I put a lot of time and thought into my pour over coffees. It's amazing what little tweaks here and there can do to the resulting cups. I like experimenting with high doses as well.

#13: Post by **dcupstateNY** » April 20th, 2012, 4:07 pm

Sam, I'm with you! I use to only brew on the weekends with the V60, but now, I use it almost daily. Great companion to my LIDO ... able to grind and brew quietly in the AM. Our techniques sound pretty much similar too. And, like you, I think I'd be lost without my Barismo gicleur ... love it!

April 20th, 2012, 4:15 pm

The V60 is such a simple device and makes great cups time after time. I typically stick with lighter roasts but have been loving a couple different Full City home roasts in the V60. It handles the roast notes very well and brings out clear fruit notes and sweetness as well.

Out of curiosity, what size cup do you typically brew with the V60? I find that it handles 8 and 12oz cups very well, but know it could also go up to 16oz if needed. I am not sure that one could pull off the larger amounts without some form of flow rate control though, but maybe with practice...

#15: Post by **dcupstateNY** » April 20th, 2012, 5:17 pm

Sam, mine's a V60-02. I typically brew 30g with 500ml, yielding about 480ml. My mugs are 10oz diner mugs ... love their heft and thermal properties.

April 20th, 2012, 9:23 pm

I have an 02 as well but have stuck to the 240 and 360ml brews. I also use diner mugs and love how well they hold their heat. I love the overall hardy build quality.

For the 240ml cups I prefer 18g and for the 360ml cups I start at 28g.

#17: Post by **Nuprin** » April 25th, 2012, 9:55 am

dcupstateNY wrote:Sam, mine's a V60-02. I typically brew 30g with 500ml, yielding about 480ml. My mugs are 10oz diner mugs ... love their heft and thermal properties.

How do you yield 480ml out of 500ml and 30g coffee? For me, the coffee usually absorbs about 10 to 15% of water mass. I brew on a scale, and for a 16oz coffee, I pour 512 grams of water and end up with about 450g of total coffee.

#18: Post by **dcupstateNY** » April 26th, 2012, 1:08 pm

Nuprin ... I brew into a Hario 02 Range Server and was "eyeballing" my yield, which was a tad below the 500ml mark hence, the "about" 480ml comment. This morning I actually weighed my finished brew and my actual yield was 452g. As they say ... "close enough for canal work"

#19: Post by **Sam21** » May 13th, 2012, 12:14 pm

I am finding that the V60 02 prefers a bigger batch size. Meaning, the cups are far more consistent at 12oz and above. I'm sure this is because the 02 was created to brew 12-24oz of coffee. I made two cups this morning using the same coffee. One was an 8oz cup and the other was 12oz. While the 8oz cup was good, the 12oz cup really popped. Much rounder profile that felt a bit more complete.

I will be playing around with a large Kalita dripped in the coming weeks and want to begin experimenting with larger brews in the V60. I am thinking that 400-500ml brews may be where this device shines. I wonder how the 01 handles the 8oz cups when I am only in the mood for a small amount... I can't say I want another V60 as I have the clever and aero press for when I only want small amounts.

#20: Post by **lalinpv** » May 13th, 2012, 4:14 pm

I quite liked the video that started this thread.

PeterG wrote: I'm curious to know what equipment and procedure Home Baristas use.... we're constantly "preaching" to people that they can brew coffee at home with a minimum of equipment and fuss. I'm always trying to do better at that. I'd love to learn more about what everyone does, with the goal of making coffee better!

Peter G

I think most people who participate on HB are open to learn and are interested in having control over the brew process, but Im not sure this is true for everyone who drinks coffee. I think that Home Baristas and the word people in your question are two different sets of demographics. I don't think you have to preach to home baristas, I think they already love to brew coffee. However, I also am always trying to become better at communicating to people (who are interested in brewing better coffee, but not necessarily going any deeper than that) how they can brew coffee at home in an accessible manner.

For the longest time I assumed that anyone who was interested in brewing good coffee needed to have a scale, and a pouring kettle, and a temperature controlled heating device, etc. etc. Ive come to realize that this is only true if the aim is to create consistent results. To me that is important. But to someone who just wants to better the overall quality of their coffee, I don't think it is. I like the way the video makes brewing accessible to people who are interested in making better coffee at home (thats why their watching the video right?) but not so "techy" as to limit the experience to those who are die-hard fanatics. The video shows that people can brew coffee with what they have at home. All tools used in the video are common and affordable household products, except for the grinder and the scale. Don't get me wrong, for the results that a Maestro Plus offers I think its a bargain! And the same could be said for the consistency that a scale can offer, however I don't see these as being objects that are common in households.

I still believe that the single most important piece of a equipment that anyone interested in increasing the overall quality of their coffee can buy, is a grinder. If they ask beyond that (what grinder?) I answer a burr grinder. Ive had the tendency to automatically suggest the Baratza grinders, because I think they are affordable and amazing, but for people who are just getting started it seems to create a price shock. So I'm having to reevaluate that: is it better to just suggest a hand mill at first? To me hand mills can be a pain in the butt sometimes, even though they produce great results. I can also see, however, how if they decide to get a hand mill and see a significant difference in quality they might more easily move upwards to an electric grinder.

Anyway, that was a rant on how I'm trying to get better at encouraging people to brew at home. As far as how I brew at home: always on a scale, always with a full kettle, and always with the same grind setting. Coffees, brew methods, ratios, temperatures, and contact times vary nearly every time.